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St. Thomas is located at 18W longitude 65N latitude.
We are 60 miles to the East of the larger island of Puerto Rico.
We are 1,200+ miles from Miami.
The last major storm to hit the VI was Hurricane Marilyn in 1995, which caused substantial damage. I spent 3 months without electricity (no work, no television, no ice, no fluffy towels)! Marilyn has been my biggest teacher: Be happy with the simple pleasures in life, because what Mother Nature provides, she also has the power to take away.
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Three Palms Villa Davis Weather Station
(thanks Mom and Dad for the gift)
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Main Weather Links
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Weather.com – The big picture in motion, from Africa to the Gulf of Mexico and the East Coast of the USA.
National Weather Service – Local Doppler Radar
National Weather Service – 7 Day Local Forecast and Discussion
(from the main page, click on Forecast Discussion in the lower right)
AccuWeather Doppler – A wider view of our Local Doppler Radar
GOES Atlantic Satellite – A bit more detailed infrared picture
GOES Puerto Rico Imagery – Information overload!
Bay News 9 – Excellent Tropical Weather page from Bay News Tampa. All the satellites one needs to check in on the tropics!
Wind Guru and WindAlert – Going sailing anyone? Wind Guru is better for forecasting, while WindAlert is real time weather stations (particularly for Buck Island). Click on a flag for detailed historical results.
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In the Event of Tropical Cyclone Threats
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WeatherUnderground.com – Best overview for tropical system formation and tracking
National Hurricane Center – Official Forecast and Warnings
National Center for Atmospheric Research – Detailed Tracking Models
Saharan Air Layer – Visible Image of Hurricane Alley with 5 Day Loop Option
Tropical Atlantic Recon Decoder Missions – For the other weather geeks out there (love you!)
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The Best of the Blogosphere
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Storm Walsh – My personal favorite, as he doesn’t mind going out on a limb to speak his gut instinct filtered through a wealth of experience. Storm was previously a featured blogger on WunderGround, until I think bureaucracy and policy got in the way. He is also available via Facebook, if you need a blow-by-blow.
Dr. Jeff Masters – This is the founder of WunderGround. His posts generally mirror that of the NHC, but in a language us wanna-bees can comprehend. You can always count on a daily post.
Super Dave McDermott via Storm Carib – Our local Virgin Islands guru. Never afraid to speak his mind, especially to remind us to stay vigilant!
Tropical Tidbits – A recent addition to my list. A favorite commentator on Storm W’s blog, and has now blossomed into his own forecasting powerhouse.
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Preparedness !
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If you do not have at least a 3 day supply (and I’d say 30 days!) of food and water on hand at all times, and an emergency kit and plan in place for your family, I strongly encourage you to take a look at some of these links …..
TheSurvivalPodcast.com – Jack Spirko is an expert at preparedness. His motto is “Helping you live a better life, if times get tough, or even if they don’t”. It’s not just weather we need to concern ourselves with!
SurvivalFoodList.com – Great information and resources on starting a basic survival kit.
VITEMA – Virgin Islands Emergency Management Agency, our local FEMA
USGS Real-Time Earthquake Map – To confirm when “I feel the earth move under my feet, the sky comes tumbling down”
Earthquake Recovery Resource Guide
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